PHP CLI stands PHP Command Line Interface. A way of using PHP in the system command line.
When using PHP CLI, you can check the version, compiled modules, execute a file, etc. The process usually takes not much time to execute.
But, at times when you execute a command to check PHP version, compiled modules it takes a long time to return the output. Even though there are ample resources available, it takes time to load and display the output.
Have a closer look at your php.ini file. This is mainly due to the additional compiled modules. You will have to check the DLL’s OR the .SO files & remove the unwanted ones. You should try multiple combinations to see which exact module is the culprit.